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Sky Thunder Mk-II
Sky Thunder Mk-II ( , lit. Sky Thunder Revision) is the name given to a vehicle found in the original Strider and most of its ports, a flying airship that serves as the scenario for the final section of the game's second stage. Overview The Sky Thunder Mk-II is a two-tiered flying airship used by the Kazakh FederationCapcom (October 2006, PlayStation). Gamebook: Strider Hiryu (Japanese). Pg. 28. ISBN 4-86233-076-2.. A large bomber aircraft using a fan-propelled engine to fly''Strider'' Development Staff (March 1989). "Strider Hiryu Characters Original Image Collection". Gamest (30). Pg. 98-99., it is capable of attacking by deploying parachute bombs in quick succession at targets directly below it. The Sky Thunder Mk-II is the Kuniang M.A. Team's favorite aircraft due to the front of its fuselage resembling a Chinese bao or steamed bun. The ship has a rather irregular form and consists of two different sections: the lower area houses both the propeller engine and the bomb rack from where the bombs are deployed, located right below the cockpit. The engine consists of a very large propeller installed on the ship's underbelly, a small one above it and four more at the left. There's also a seesaw-like flight control surface on the back of the ship, a tricky platform that moves erratically and can throw Hiryu to his death, but is required to reach the upper portion of the ship. The main deck in the upper area is a long section with a cannon battery, which ends in the door to the ship's cockpit, which as stated above has a rounded out shape making it resemble a bao. The Sky Thunder MK-II flies high above the Siberian Power Plant alongside a fleet of Flying Tortoises, its crew consisting of the Kuniang M.A. Team and a single Russian Infantryman serving as pilot. After leaving from the Power Plant, by using a number of Flying Tortoises, Hiryu eventually reaches the airship, confronts and defeats the sister trio, and in removing the pilot finally completes the second stage. Parachute Bombs Parachute Bombs ( ) are the explosive weapons dropped by the Sky Thunder MK-II, and the main obstacle for Hiryu in his ascent throughout the areaCapcom (October 2006, PlayStation). Gamebook: Strider Hiryu (Japanese). Pg. 26. ISBN 4-86233-076-2.. There can be up to 5 bombs falling onscreen at a time, the number of bombs being determined by the game's preset and dynamic difficulty settings. They can be hard to dodge as they randomly crowd the screen and fall rapidly leaving little space for movement or time to react. While destroying the bombs can provide some breathing space, attempting to destroy them can also turn Hiryu into a target due to the number of hit points they have and how quickly other bombs are falling from above. Trivia As the Mega Drive/Genesis conversion of Strider was handled by Sega, their redrawn version of the Parachute Bomb sprite appears to have been reused, in part, slightly modified for inclusion in their 1994 Genesis game, Sonic & Knuckles. The bombs can be found falling in "Flying Battery Zone - Act 1", which by coincidence is also reminiscent of Strider's Stage 3 (Flying Battleship Balrog). The bombs also return in the stage's reimagined version from Sonic Mania. The Sky Thunder Mk-II is mentioned by name in Tong Pooh's card bio from SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS. This nod is lost on the English version, who simply refers to it as her "skyship". References Category:Vehicles Category:Locations